Hallmark symbols used at the Assay offices in Britain

Precious metals control has been practised in most European countries for centuries. Its original purpose was to verify the precious metal content in gold and silver coins while nowadays this control is applied mainly to jewellery, silverware and watch cases for the protection of both consumer and manufacturer.

Each country has developed its own regulations on precious metals control depending on local traditions and industrial developments which determine fineness, sampling, testing, marking and technical requirements. Fineness ranges from 333/1000 to 999/1000 (8-24 carat).

Some countries require compulsory control and hallmarking of every article by an independent body, some have a voluntary hallmarking system while others only require prescribed marking by the manufacturer.

Italy, for example, the leading developed world jewellery producer, does not have an independent system of guarantee. The marking of products is carried out by the individual manufacturer who must show his identification code and the fineness of the metal on all products sold on the Italian market. Every Italian manufacturer has an identification mark composed of a number and the first two letters of his region, as for example, 1 AR.

Under compulsory hallmarking systems, some very light articles are exempt to avoid damage. In France, the minimum weight for hallmark requirement was lifted in January 2002 from 1.0 g to 3.0 g to limit damage by marking. In the UK, articles weighing less than 1 g are exempt.

Official hallmarking is also found in certain countries formerly administered by the British and French in colonial days. However, most have voluntary systems.

The International Hallmarking Convention

The different European laws on precious metals and title diversity called for a solution to the problems arising from trade in jewellery between countries with different systems. This came in 1975 with the Convention on the Control and Marking of Articles of Precious Metals which introduced a Common Control Mark (CCM) indicating fineness. Each member country (identified in the above European table with an asterisk) agrees to allow goods marked with the CCM mark to be imported without further testing and marking if such articles would normally qualify for a domestic mark.

In addition, following the European Court of Justice ruling in the Houtwipper case of 1994 (when a jeweller in the Netherlands was prosecuted for selling rings without a Dutch hallmark), the member states of the European Union must now accept, without re-hallmarking, other European national hallmarks which provide a guarantee to consumers equivalent to their domestic marks.

In the light of the above case, some European countries have changed domestic legislation, and some are taking steps to join the International Convention, for example France and Spain.

European Union Directive on Hallmarking

No compromise has yet been reached for the introduction of a Directive for the harmonisation of standards and quality control. The table below shows the diversity of standards legally accepted within the EU today.

Hallmarking Statistics

• In the UK, all gold products sold on the home market must be hallmarked at one of the four assay offices in London, Birmingham, Sheffield and Edinburgh. Articles weighing less than 1 gram are exempt. Articles assayed range from 9 to 24 carat. The volumes hallmarked are shown below.

• In France, all gold products sold on the home market must be hallmarked in one of the 24 assay offices located throughout the country. Only articles weighing less than 0.5 g were exempt up until 31 July 2000. On that date, the exemption limit was raised to 1.0 g to avoid the potential damage of articles. Subsequently the limit was raised to 3.0 g in January 2002. Virtually all jewellery on the French market is 18 carat, as volumes of 9 and 14 carat, now admitted as 'gold alloys', are negligible. The volumes hallmarked are shown below.

• In Switzerland, only the marking of gold watch cases is obligatory, whether for sale on domestic or export markets. This is carried out by the Bureau Central du Contrôle des Métaux Precieux. Cases must bear a Legal Standard of Fineness mark and a Responsibility mark. The table below shows the number of gold watchcases marked since 1995. The huge swings are in great measure connected with the watchmakers' inventory policies.